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| Vaduz Cowl |
First, let me acknowledge the last few pattern-less weeks. It turns out that moving internationally with three children is just as hard as they say it is, especially when you also decide to assemble all of your new furniture by hand as soon as you arrive (thanks, IKEA!). Long story short, I've barely had time to comb my hair, much less knit. But I will say that my new city of Zürich, Switzerland is just as inspiring as I hoped it would be, and I plan to launch a pattern collection with this place in mind.
Until then, I hope you enjoy a design I made before our move, the Vaduz Cowl. And why'd I call it that? Well, Vaduz is the capital of Switzerland's neighboring Liechtenstein. And since I gave this cowl to my sister, who then helped me with my family's move, and then took a day trip on the train, the cowl made it to the world's sixth-smallest country before I could. With that in mind, may it accompany on your (or your sister's) next adventure as well!!!
Yarn: Malabrigo Mecha (100% Merino Superwash Wool; 130 yards [120 meters]/100 grams); #031 Mostaza - one skein
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| The cable. |
Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker
Gauge: 12 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette
So let's make a cowl! First things first, then cast on 32 stitches loosely (you can also use a provisional cast on, if you prefer a seamless look). Then we'll move straight to our main pattern, which combines Staghorn Cable from page 251 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns with some basic knits and purls. So first, we'll define our cables like so:
fc (front cross): slip 2 stitches to cn and hold in front, k2, then k2 from cn
bc (back cross): slip 2 stitches to cn and hold in back, k2, then k2 from cn
And then we'll continue like this:
Row 1 (wrong side): (p2, k2) twice, p16, (k2, p2) twice
Row 2: (k2, p2) twice, k4, bc, fc, k4, (p2, k2) twice
Row 3: k2, p2, k4, p16, k4, p2, k2
Row 4: p2, k2, p4, k2, bc, k4, fc, k2, p4, k2, p2
Row 5: (p2, k2) twice, p16, (k2, p2) twice
Row 6: (k2, p2) twice, bc, k8, fc, (p2, k2) twice
Row 7: k2, p2, k4, p16, k4, p2, k2
Row 8: p2, k2, p4, k4, bc, fc, k4, p4, k2, p2
Row 9: (p2, k2) twice, p16, (k2, p2) twice
Row 10: (k2, p2) twice, k2, bc, k4, fc, k2, (p2, k2) twice
Row 11: k2, p2, k4, p16, k4, p2, k2
Row 12: p2, k2, p4, bc, k8, fc, p4, k2, p2
Knit rows 1 - 12 until piece measures roughly 20" (or desired length) and you've just finished row 6 or row 12 of the pattern (if you want things to line up exactly you'll want to end on row 12, but I ended on row 6 and I challenge you to find my final row!). Bind off loosely and seam. Tuck in ends, and wear to Liechtenstein. Or, you know, the grocery.
First off - beautiful cowl! Secondly - glad to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteI don't envy you doing the moving part! But where you moved to sounds heavenly!!
Linda in VA
Hi Linda!
DeleteThank you! And yes, I'm back, and only slightly traumatized by our move. :) Luckily everyone is finally settling in and I've even made my first trip to the yarn store (well, technically it was a Target-like store, but the selection was pretty decent anyway!). :)
Beautiful! I just found your blog from the coaster pattern that All Free Knitting featured. I hope I am skilled enough to make this! Thank you for making the pattern free! I am sure folks would be willing to pay for this one.
ReplyDeleteThank you! And I'm always happy to answer questions if you have them. :) The only tricky technique here is cabling, so I think you can do it!!!
DeleteJust wondering if this gorgeous cowl could be knit in the round? I'm glad you're moved. Whew!! Thank you for such a beautiful pattern.
ReplyDeleteHi Robin! You could make modifications for this to be in the round, but you would either need to have the cable go the other way (which would kind of defeat the point) or turn the whole thing into sort of a tube, so you knit the pattern twice, basically, as a tube, and then connected the ends. If you'd like to do that I'm happy to help! :)
DeleteIt's gorgeous. I'm working on it and realized that there is a mistake on row 8. It should read P2, K2, P4, K4 etc...
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Giulia
Thank you! I'll fix it. :) I was half asleep when I was trying to get it done, so I'm not surprised. Thanks for catching it though!
DeleteThis is perfect for Heather! Did she like it? And it went to Liechtenstein!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think she liked it a lot! The eldest picked out the yarn, so he was very pleased with his success! And yes, it's now better traveled in this region than I am. Balls!
DeleteSweet pattern. Knitting
ReplyDeleterules!!
Cheers, Anita.
Thanks Anita! I am in love with this yarn. :)
Deletecongrats on the move and we are all looking forward to seeing how the move inspired you....
ReplyDeleteThank you! I have some really fun ideas (well, I think so), but I haven't had too much time to execute them yet! :)
Deletelove the cables ! I just happen to be looking for new patterns on freevintageknitting and your knits came up.So happy to of found you.I love your knits.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sonja! I'm glad you found me too. :) And please, if you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm always happy to help!
DeleteHi from Boise! Is this pattern as written large enough for a man approx 17" neck? If not, could u help me with the resizing? I read your comments and still am amazed at your kindness and response to each person. Especially with three little guys! Your must be an amazing time manager...or sleep deprived.. Ha ha! Take care and thank you for sharing your
ReplyDeleteLovely creations and help for those less talented and or skilled.
Lol!
Hi again Andrea!
DeleteAs written, this cowl is about 20" in circumference, but quite stretchy so it can fit over a person's head. I think that would be very workable for a 17" man neck. However, since the pattern is knit sideways rather than top to bottom, it's extremely easy to make the cowl bigger around - just knit more! I also think the height of the cowl would be just fine for a man (at about 10.5" if fully blocked, slightly shorter otherwise). Let me know if you have any other questions! :)
Thank you so much for your reply. Also, what method of blocking would you recommend? I am NOT a very experienced blocker, in fact I think I've only blocked one thing in my entire knitting career, which is just a couple of years.😊 I would assume then that to increase the height I would have to adjust the initial cast on? Thank you so much and have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea!
DeleteI'm not a huge blocker either (I know, I know, I shouldn't admit it). Honestly, I didn't block this cowl (I don't think! I dunno. I was in the middle of the move. My memories are fuzzy!). However, if you do block it, I would soak it for about 20 minutes in cold water, rearranging it in the water a few times to make sure everything gets wet. Then towel it dry (some squeezing will be unavoidable, but don't wring or twist). Finally, pin it flat on a towel and wait for it to dry (everything I've ever seen specifies rust-proof pins. Most sewing pins or safety pins will do). Truth be told, I usually only block when I absolutely have to - when I've knit something that rolls! I like designs like this with knits and purls because they typically don't. :)
Thank you sweetie... Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteYou too! :)
DeleteWow, what a stunning cowl. It will be perfect for the winters here in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. I am wondering whether you are still in Switzerland as it's 11 months since your original post. I just have one question if you don't mind, I will be substituting the wool you used and wondered what the thickness is? Would it be a bulky wool? Thanks again for such a brilliant pattern.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue!
DeleteFirst of all, yup, I'm still in Switzerland! :) And secondly, this is indeed a chunky weight yarn (I include that information in the tags at the bottom of the post, just so you know). And I'm glad you like the pattern! :)
Bless you Gretchen
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteHi! I have just knit this (well nearly) & it's gorgeous! I did my first ever provisional cast on to start, using the method where you crochet a chain & cast the first loops onto that. But I can't find a clear/consistent instruction with how to then join the two ends. It's not in my knitting book either. Can you suggest a helpful guide for joining the 2 ends please? ☺
ReplyDeleteUse the Kitchener stitch, also called grafting! I would love to give you a link but my baby is snuggling on me hard right now. If you google it and don't find something that helps though let me know and I'll try to find a good reference tomorrow. :)
DeleteHi I love this Cowl. I am trying to use up some of my stash . It is getting out of hand as I am sure anyone who knits understands this :-) Do you think I could us any DK yarn on this? I seem to have an abundance of DK also have a few Aran weight. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteYes, you could use dk weight to do something similar - you would just want to cast on a few extra edge stitches, or perhaps even repeat the middle cable. If you let me know your gauge more exactly, and how wide you'd like your cowl, I can try to help you with more specific instructions. :)
This is beautiful. Is there chance you have a pattern for a matching toque?
ReplyDeleteHi there! No, unfortunately I haven't designed one. If you wanted one, however, you could knit the cable with perhaps two stitches on each side (garter stitch for the edges), stopping when it was about two inches smaller than your head, and then bind off and seam. Then pick up stitches around the top (use gauge calculations to figure out how many you need; make sure it's divisible by four if you want to use the side pattern from this cowl). Then work up! :)
DeleteIf you'd like to be a guinea pig for a more detailed pattern let me know and I'll work something up. :)
I love this cowl. Is there any chance you have a pattern for a matching hat?
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteUnfortunately not. You can check out the previous comment, though, for suggestions. :)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThanks for this nice pattern. English is not my mother tongue :) I saw that your wrote 20" for circumference but as I will use 7 mm needle and not 8 mm as you, could you tell me the height to permit me to ajust ? Many thanks a lot for your answer and best regards from Paris.
Maddy
Hello there!
DeleteHonestly, I would probably just make it as is! If you want, though, you could add 4 stitches and work 2 in pattern at the beginning and end of each row - for the first row, for instance, work (p2, k2) twice, then p2 again (instead of just (p2, k2) twice), and so on.
And let me know if you have any other questions! :)